STEVENS POINT, Wis. – Seniors
Kelly Cefalu (Waunakee, WI/Waunakee) and
Gabby Thomas (Henderson, MN/LeSueur-Henderson) had a double-double each as the No. 17 UW-Stevens Point volleyball team (24-6) prevailed in five sets over visiting Concordia (Wis.) on Senior Night at Berg Gym on Tuesday. After winning the first two sets, the visiting Falcons (20-7) evened the match to send it to the decisive fifth set where UWSP pulled out the win 15-7.
Cefalu led all players with 22 kills in the match. She surpassed the 400 kill mark for the season becoming just the seventh in school history to do so. She also had 16 digs for the double-double.
Thomas has 13 kills while tacking on 12 digs for her sixth double-double of the year. Freshman
Abby Majercik (Johnsburg, IL/Johnsburg) was the third Pointer with a double-double in the match, racking up 46 assists and 12 digs.
Fellow senior
Bri Piepenbrok (Merrill, WI/Merrill) had 31 digs in the match. With four first-set digs, she surpassed the 600 digs plateau for the year, just the sixth player in program history to reach that mark.
Cefalu capped a 5-0 run in the middle of the first set with a kill to put the Pointers ahead 15-10. Minutes later, a Cefalu ace extended the lead to 19-12. After a brief rally by CUW, Thomas had three kills to put the set away for UWSP.
The Pointers erased an early 3-0 deficit with the aid of two kills by Cefalu in set two.
Ellen Drewry (Waunakee, WI/Waunakee) and
April Gehl (Hilbert, WI/Hilbert) each had a kill mid-set to put UWSP ahead 15-13. Thomas capped a 6-0 run with a kill as UWSP separated to a 21-16 advantage. Then with the set knotted late, Cefalu had a pair of kills to put the Pointers up two set to none.
Set three was tied late until the Falcons strung together four straight points to move in front 23-19. In set four, Cefalu and Thomas combined for eight kills, but the visitors held a slight lead throughout to force the fifth set.
The Pointers reeled off five straight points to build a 6-2 lead. After the Falcons closed to within one, Cefalu had a kill and an ace in a 4-0 run to up the lead to 10-5. Thomas put the finishing touches on Senior Night with back-to-back kills to end the set and the match.
UWSP will travel to UW-Stout and UW-River Falls this weekend to wrap up the regular season. The Pointers and Blue Devils faceoff at 7:00 p.m. on Friday before UWSP concludes the season against the Eagles at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.
